Alright, I know I promised at the beginning of the season I wouldn’t dissect plays or sequences, but the Jaguars and Chargers game was just too crazy to not address. If you know what happened, skip this, but otherwise it’s worth reading! Let’s set the scene. Chargers up 17-14 with 2:51 left in the game, they are just punting the ball to Jacksonville.

After 49 seconds and crossing midfield, Bortles throws an interception. Should be game over, right?

1st play, Chargers Fumble! Jags run it back for a score, but it’s reversed. But hey, they have the ball in FG range already

Hold your horses, at the 22 yard line (so a 39 yard Field Goal), Bortles throws ANOTHER interception. Game over, right?

Nope, Jags have all 3 timeouts since they fumbled the first play last time. 3 runs and 3 timeouts later, there’s 1:08 in the game and Chargers have to punt

Josh Lambo, ex Charger, nails a short FG to tie the game as time expires. Overtime

Jags punt first possession

Chargers throw deep and it’s caught by Travis Benjamin only to be ripped out of his hands and ruled an interception. Guy runs it back 51 yards and gets tackled at the 2 yd line

Now fun with penalties. There’s a 15 yard penalty on the INT for taunting. Ball at the 17. Jags go nowhere in 3 plays and line up to kick a field goal, but there’s a delay of game on the defense, march the ball forward 5 yards.

Field Goal is BLOCKED! But trickles barely over the uprights. Jags win! BUT, had that delay of game not been called, the ball would have fallen short.

We’re to playoff time! The season is always fun, but the final 11 games always ramp up the pressure and drama. But first, a few Week 17 notes.

Week 17

The Jets controlled their destiny and missed out on the playoffs, losing to nemesis Buffalo with only revenge to play for. Feel bad for Ryan Fitzpatrick, who sort of revitalized his career this year and played solid football, but has never seen the playoffs.

Still shocked that the Patriots laid an egg against the Dolphins, and gave up the #1 seed. It’s a good thing that Brady has a BYE, because he looked severely hobbled after the game.

I’m Back! With a Special Thursday Version of Friday Morning Quarterback! The loooonnngggg awaited season starts tonight!

The 2014 NFL season is shaping up to be an odd one. In my mind, there are only 2 elite teams atop each conference; the AFC has the Broncos and Patriots while the NFC has the Seahawks and 49ers. After that there seems to be plenty of “good” teams but no real “great” teams. My first instinct thought this was rather disappointing, but then I realized that we could have a crazy year with a lot of shuffling of teams.

FYI- this first post is very long every year, so if you want a cliff notes version, read everything but hold off on reading analysis on EVERY team. Just pick a few you’re interested in.

Player Predictions

My rookies to watch is Kelvin Benjamin (Panthers) and Brandin Cooks (Saints). Both are Wide Receivers, which goes against conventional wisdom. Typically WRs have a steeper learning curve than most other positions, and standout rookie years can be rare. But both are the right play for the right situation. Kelvin Benjamin is going to a team that lost 4 wide receivers in Steve Smith, Ted Ginn, Brandon LaFell, and Domenik Hixon. That’s almost unheard of, so Benjamin should see strong playing time. I also like Brandin Cooks with the Saints. He is a speedy guy who could fill the void of Darren Sproles leaving, and will likely see advantageous coverages. One of these guys will get Rookie of the Year.

League MVP is Nick Foles, with Jamaal Charles getting 2nd in voting

I see DeSean Jackson getting frustrated with QB Robert Griffin and causing some drama this season.

The best rookie QB this year will be Blake Bortles, with the other two 1st round picks (Manziel and Bridgewater) struggling and having more INT’s than TD’s

Johnny Manziel will come in during Week 6, and will be starting by Week 7. Not necessarily due to Hoyer playing poorly, but moreso with the season already out of reach for the Browns.

The Cowboys will finish 8-8 again this year

Teddy Bridgewater will lead the league in turnovers this year (even without starting all 16 games)

Surprise teams to make playoffs: Detroit, Chicago, NY Jets

Surprise teams to miss playoffs: Cincinnati, Green Bay, Carolina

Two most Overrated teams: Carolina and San Diego

Two most Underrated teams: NFC four way tie (Carolina, Detroit, Chicago and Atlanta) and Baltimore

Not a huge prediction here, but something to keep an eye out for. Peyton Manning will break Favre’s all time TD mark. He’s only 17 behind him now, and is 2 years younger than Favre was when he hit this mark. The only questions now is how fast will Manning get there, and how bad will he beat it at the end of his career.

Best new coach: Jay Gruden. Believe it or not, I remember back in the day and watching him coach in the arena league when his brother was still with the Bucs. I love Jay’s fire, and think he could be the “Chip Kelly” of this year. I’m not high on the Redskins, but if there’s a team to completely go from 3-13 to 10-6, it’s this team because of this coach.

Posts navigation

About FMQB

FMQB is a blog for football fans, by a football fan. Each week I try to show some insights into several games and interesting statistics while also bringing humor to the mix. Join me for some fun by taking a quick break every week to re-live the best game in the world.